Colorado delegation travels to Chile for trade mission

The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade and the U.S. Commercial Service are sending a trade delegation to the largest mining exhibition in Latin America.

The group will be going to “Expomin 2012,” in Santiago, Chile, from April 7 to 14. Martha Butwin, senior international trade specialist from the federal Commercial Service, will lead the mission.

The trade mission will help four Colorado-based companies launch or increase their export business in the Chilean market. Companies participating are DFC Ceramics, Geotech Environmental Equipment, TEI Rock Drills and Western Sling and Supply.

The companies will attend the trade shows and take part in networking meetings. The show is a biennial event that is attended by companies in the mining and construction sectors.

The trade mission is funded by an export-promotion grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement went into effect Jan. 1, 2004 in 2010, U.S. export to Chile were up 300 percent form 2003 levels, with exports to the nation accounting for nearly 1 percent of overall U.s. exports in 2010. Colorado’s exports to the Latin American country reached $42 million in 2011.

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